Mookie Betts commits to Team USA

August 25th, 2022

He's won an MVP Award, World Series titles on each coast, and has been an All-Star every season since 2016. But now, Mookie Betts -- one of the most gifted five-tool players in the game -- wants to add something else to his resume: World Baseball Classic champion.

On Thursday, Betts committed himself to Team USA for the 2023 tournament beginning this spring. He joins a loaded Team USA roster that appears hellbent on repeating as champions. Behind manager Mark DeRosa and a coaching staff that features Andy Pettitte and Ken Griffey Jr., Betts joins Mike Trout, Pete Alonso, Paul Goldschmidt, Trevor Story, Bryce Harper, Nolan Arenado, J.T. Realmuto and Cedric Mullins, who have already announced their intention to play.

Official rosters won't be set until the offseason, but Team USA's roster is already shaping up to be among its strongest in the history of the tournament. It'll face Mexico, Colombia, Canada and one of the teams that will advance from next month's qualifiers in Panama City when WBC pool play begins in March.